Duke ratepayers could also be on the hook for an unfinished nuclear plant

NUCLEAR: Duke Energy customers could wind up paying $500 million for a South Carolina nuclear plant that may never be built. (Charlotte Observer)

ALSO: The abandonment of the Summer nuclear plant project has sparked a debate between environmentalists and nuclear power proponents. (E&E News)

WIND: Despite support from Gov. Roy Cooper, wind energy proponents are concerned some state lawmakers are still trying to shut down the industry. (Southeast Energy News)

UTILITIES: Three power projects in the Southeast – two nuclear expansions and a “clean coal” plant – that became over-budget and significantly delayed may signal the end to utilities’ mega projects. (E&E News)

SOLAR:
• Duke Energy says the upcoming solar eclipse’s impact on its solar farms in North Carolina will not interrupt utility customers’ power, and the TVA says its grid also is prepared for the event. (News & Observer, WKMS)
• Dominion Energy has acquired two solar generating facilities and plans to purchase two other solar farms in North Carolina. (Solar Industry)

COAL:
• President Trump told crowds at a rally in West Virginia on Thursday that he has kept his campaign promise and “ended the war on beautiful, clean coal.” (WMUR)
• A look at Alabama’s last coal-company town. (AL.com)

REGULATIONS: Virginia’s advisory panel tasked by the governor to create new carbon regulations for the state’s power plants began work on Thursday. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

CONSUMPTION: A new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows Louisiana was the nation’s top energy consumer in 2015. (Daily Advertiser)

OIL & GAS: West Virginia’s natural gas and oil industry supported more than 70,000 related jobs and added $8 billion to the state’s economy in 2015, according to a new report. (Herald-Dispatch)